Twenty Tickets
by JK5959
Summary: Edward is a geek and madly in love with Bella. To his dismay, they only interact in Biology class. During the school carnival, a none-too-pleased Edward is forced to participate in a kissing booth. How will his night end? AH B/E One-shot


**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

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EPOV

Biology. It was my favorite class. Not because it was particularly interesting but because _she_ was in it - Bella Swan. She is smart, beautiful, and I Edward Cullen, am completely and hopelessly in love with her. Of course, she has no idea.

She moved to Forks a year ago and the first time I saw her was in this very class. I was sitting alone at my lab table, as usual, when she walked in. I only noticed her enter because she stumbled through the door, tripping over virtually thin air. When she righted herself, I was absolutely stunned by her beauty.

She had long wavy brown hair and deep chocolate eyes that I get lost in on a daily basis. Her pale skin and petite frame make her look so fragile and breakable that I am astounded that she doesn't hurt herself more often with her clumsiness.

That first day in Biology she was assigned as my lab partner. I was certain that she would be disappointed at being stuck with me for the rest of the year, seeing as how I'm the resident geek, but as I got to know her I found that she wasn't that type of person. She honestly seemed to enjoy my company. That was the day I realized that not only was she beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well.

I said as little to her as possible that first time, afraid that I would make an absolute fool of myself. She was just so perfect that I was positive I would mumble incoherently even more than I usually do if I attempted to speak to her.

We began to talk a little more every day, but we were only acquaintances _in_ class, and that was all. I wanted desperately to be friends, possibly more, out of class, but I never had the courage to go up to her.

Biology, for us, was a completely different world. In here I could be myself around her without the outside world getting in the way. I also noticed that Bella was more at ease in this class too. It warmed my heart knowing this, thinking that perhaps it had something to do with me, but most likely not.

As the year progressed I learned a lot about her. Her parents were divorced and she moved here from Phoenix to live with her father, Charlie, so her mother could travel with her step-father. She loved to cook and read, and her favorite book was _Wuthering Heights_. She hated the rain, so it was most likely quite difficult for her to be here, and her favorite color was green, though she wouldn't tell me why.

It was during these classes that I fell in love with Bella Swan. She is such a kind and loving person, it is impossible not to. She has such a big heart and warm smile. You couldn't help but get pulled in by her. At least, I couldn't. I was drawn to her.....like a magnet.

During the first few months she became rather popular with the boys in school, and I found that all their attention was unwanted on Bella's part. She is naturally a shy person and mostly keeps to herself. She only has a few close friends in school, one of them being my sister, Alice. With this knowledge, I felt honored that Bella confided in me as much as she did, even though it was only during those forty-five minutes of Biology.

Although I've never actually told Alice about my feelings for Bella, I'm sure she knows. Whenever she talks about her in my presence, I make it a point to pay extra close attention. I knew a lot about Bella from our conversations in class, but the one thing I didn't know was whether she had feelings for anyone. I knew this was something that Bella would never confide in me, and this was where Alice came in.

I learned from my sister that Bella gets asked out on a constant basis from the boys in our school, especially Mike Newton, and every day she turns them down. When Alice asked her why she always refuses, she simply says that she's not interested in any of them and that she's waiting for someone special.

I knew of Mike's affections toward Bella. After all, he is my friend, but I never told him how I felt about her. I didn't think there was any point in letting him know. We were on the tennis team together and he would often talk about how good looking she was and how he really needed to 'score a date' with her. His intentions were not exactly what you would call honorable.

Mike was a decent guy, for the most part, but he didn't really care for Bella. Definitely not like I did. Bella deserved better than that. She deserved someone who would treat her with respect and care for her and look out for her, someone who could love her more than life itself.

I wished that _I_ could be that person for Bella, but I also knew that she could do much better than me. I wasn't special, just some geek who worshiped her from afar, someone that no girl would look at twice.

I wasn't a total loser per say. I had friends and I was never tormented, but I was the kind of kid who wore unflattering horn-rimmed glasses, immersed himself in his studies and his music, and has never, ever, been on a date, let alone kissed a girl. I have strange copper colored hair and extremely pale skin. The only thing interesting about me are my green eyes, which Bella has told me are beautiful. They are now my favorite thing about me.

I was sitting at my lab table, waiting for class to start, and more importantly, for Bella to arrive, when Mike came strolling up to me.

"Hey Cullen! Don't forget about the carnival tonight," he said, with a toothy grin.

I nodded my head numbly. "Yeah, yeah. I remember," I said, grumpily. "Why are we doing this again?"

"We need money for new tennis uniforms," he answered with a shrug.

I held my head in my hands, shaking it side to side. "I know we do, but why a kissing booth?"

I couldn't believe that the best idea my team could come up with for new uniforms, after the athletic budget had been cut, was to set up a kissing booth at the school carnival tonight. And worst of all, every guy on the team had to participate. None of the other guys seemed to mind this, but I did. No girl was going to line up to kiss me and this would only further cement my status as a geek.

Mike chuckled at my obvious discomfort. He honestly didn't get why I was so bothered by this. "Don't worry Edward. It'll be fun. I mean come on. You're basically getting paid to kiss a bunch of girls. Who wouldn't like _that_?"

I didn't want to kiss a bunch of girls. I only wanted to kiss Bella. But that was never going to happen, seeing as she was way out of my league.

With a slap on the back and very little reassurance, Mike walked back over to his seat, completely oblivious to my troubles.

I let my head fall into my arms on the table. I groaned at the thought of what was to transpire tonight. As I was sulking in my own self-pity, I heard the chair next to me move. A warm, gentle hand rested on my shoulder, and I nearly trembled at the contact.

"Are you okay, Edward?" a soft, melodic voice asked. It was my angel.

I shifted my head to the side, still resting it in my arms, to answer her, but I once again got lost in her beauty, as I always do.

Her eyes transfixed me as they pulled me in. She looked amazing today. She wore very little makeup, as usual, her natural beauty doing all the work. Her skin was glowing as the sun bounced off her cheeks from the window, and her eyes sparkled like gems.

Her silky hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back like a chocolate waterfall. Her lips were parted slightly, soft and inviting, as her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip. I found myself being drawn in by that tiny unconscious gesture, wanting nothing more than to place a gentle kiss on her perfect lips.

As I realized that I had been staring, I immediately brought my eyes back up to hers. A faint blush began to rise on her cheeks, as I felt mine doing the same. _I can't believe I just did that. Who the hell stares at someone like that? _To ease the tension, I answered her previous question.

I cleared my throat and pushed my glasses back up my nose. "Not really," I answered. "I'm not looking forward to the carnival tonight."

Her lips curved down into a small frown. "Why?" she asked, looking me straight in the eyes.

I sighed. "I have to do that stupid kissing booth tonight. I'm not really looking forward to it." I averted my eyes from her gaze, feeling slightly embarrassed now.

I chanced a quick side glance at her and saw that her face was blank, showing no emotion.

"Why not? Most guys would jump at the chance to kiss all the girls in school." As she said this, there was a slight edge to her voice, like she was irritated. I wonder why?

I sat back up in my chair and began taking my books out for class as I answered her. "I'm not like most guys," I said, quietly.

From the corner of my eye I saw a huge smile grace her face. "I know you're not. That's what I love about you, Edward," she said, softly.

I was shocked by her choice of words but delighted that they drifted out of her mouth, whether by accident or not. Upon realizing what she had just said, she blushed furiously and turned her attention to the front of the class.

I wanted to say something to her, but just at that moment Mr. Banner walked in the door. Fortunately, luck was on my side today. He informed the class that we would be working with our lab partners on a project involving onion root tip cells. We would need to separate and label the slides into the proper phases of mitosis.

Bella and I immediately began working on the slides. We engaged in idle conversion - never once talking about her previous statement - while working on the project. We were the first to finish, as we usually were, and with twenty minutes left in class I decided to continue talking to see if I could gain any new information from the lovely Bella Swan.

I shifted toward her and noticed her doodling in her notebook. She was drawing little hearts in the corners of the pages and she seemed to be thinking dreamily about something. What I wouldn't give to be able to read her mind.

I cleared my throat to grab her attention. "So Bella, you going to the carnival tonight?"

A part of me hoped that she wouldn't. I didn't want to embarrass myself any further by having her see me standing all by myself at the kissing booth, with no one at all in line. On the other hand, I was really hoping to see her outside of school. Alice rarely had her over the house, and when she did I made it a point to stay out of their way.

Bella halted her doodling and turned to me with an innocent smile. "Yeah. I love carnivals. I'm really excited about it." There was a childlike gleam in her eyes as she spoke. "Besides, even if I didn't want go, you're sister would make me anyway." She giggled.

I chuckled, because it was the truth. Alice always made people do things that they didn't want to do, especially me. I have on many occasion, been forced to go shopping with her, simply to carry her bags.

"You going with anyone?" I asked. I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

I was nervous that perhaps she had a date tonight. I know Alice said that she always turned people down, but I was afraid that maybe she had changed her mind recently, at least for the carnival.

"Nope." She shook her head and then shifted her body toward me. "You going with anyone?"

I felt like laughing out loud at how ridiculous that sounded. The idea of that happening was utterly absurd and I snorted just thinking about it. "Yeah, right," I said.

She gave me an incredulous look. "What's so funny?"

"Bella," I started, "It's laughable that anyone would want to go with me." I turned my attention back to my notebook. I may have sounded okay on the outside, but on the inside it hurt to know that girls thought of me as such a reject.

"No it's not." I looked up at her and our eyes locked.

Trying to sound firm and confident I said, "It's alright Bella. I know I'm a loser, and I don't mind." That was bullshit. "No girl in this school would want to go out with me." Not that I wanted any girl in this school besides her.

Her eyes grew fierce and her mouth became a tight line on her face. This scowl did not befit her. She should always be smiling.

"That's not true," she said, slightly angry.

Why was she angry?

Before I could say anything she continued. "Any girl in this school would be lucky to have you." Her face had softened and she smiled a sweet smile at me.

I smiled back, not really sure where her words were coming from, but not caring either. I took this opportunity to do something I never in my life thought I would have the guts to do.

"Um, Bella?" I began nervously, wringing my hands together. "Since you're going to be at the carnival tonight, do you think you would want to hangout? Maybe go on a few rides or something?" _Please don't say no. Please don't say no.,_ I chanted in my head.

She bit her lower lip and for a moment I thought that she was thinking of an excuse to let me down easy. But once again she surprised me.

"I'd like that Edward." She tilted her head away from me and her hair fell to the side, covering her angelic face from my view. Was she embarrassed?

Before I could ponder that any further, the bell rang. Ugh. How I wish I could stay here and continue talking to her, but we had to get to our next class. Damn it! At least now I would have tonight with her. _Was this a date?_ Surely it wasn't. It was just friends hanging out, is all. _Right?_

We both began collecting our things as the rest of the class filed out of the room leaving just us, and of course, Mr. Banner, behind.

I turned to her and ran my hand through my untidy hair. "Well, I have the second shift at the booth tonight," I said. "I should be done around 8:00."

"Okay." She spoke almost shyly. "Here's my cell number so you can call me when you're done."

When she grabbed my hand I felt a jolt like an electric shock shoot straight through me. She noticed the feeling too because her eyes grew wide and she gasped, but she didn't let go.

She wrote the digits on the back of my hand and then released it. I inwardly frowned at the loss. I liked the feel of her skin on mine. Something about it just felt right, almost like I was complete.

"I'll see you later tonight, Edward." And with that she walked away, sending me one last glance before she left the classroom.

I stood there frozen in shock, not really understanding how I managed to wrangle some alone time with Bella Swan for tonight. I didn't know if this was a date, but whatever it was, I was going to make the most of it.

_I need to program her number into my phone before I_ _lose it, _I thought.

Mr. Banner's voice broke me out of my reverie. "Mr. Cullen, shouldn't you be getting to class?"

I turned to look up at him sitting at his desk, with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a smirk on his face. He must have seen the whole scene with Bella and I. _Great!_

"Sorry Mr. Banner," I mumbled.

As I walked toward the door I heard him chuckle. "It's about time," he muttered. At that statement I nearly walked into the door jam.

It was nearly seven and the carnival would be starting any minute. I had been standing in front of my closet for twenty minutes now, trying to figure out what to wear for tonight. I wanted to look good for Bella, but I also didn't want to try _too_ hard. I finally decided to just wear what I would normally wear. After all, I want a girl to like me for me.

That being settled, I picked out a plain black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my green converse. Looking in the mirror, I decided that there was nothing I could do with my hair. It would always be unmanageable. I thought briefly about wearing contacts tonight, but they irritated me to no end the few times that I did wear them. After much internal debating I finally chose to stick with my glasses.

I was pleased with how I looked, hoping that Bella would feel the same. I gave myself a once over in the mirror and then grabbed my wallet and keys, and headed out.

With the way I drive, the ride to school took about five minutes. I parked my beautiful silver Volvo, my pride and joy, and began making my way to my own personal hell on earth, the kissing booth.

It was about twenty after seven and my shift was starting in ten minutes. Butterflies were starting to form in my stomach, anticipating the mortification that was soon to come.

_Why in God's name do I have to do this?,_ I thought. This was going to be pure torture.

The worst and best part of all of this was that Bella would be here. I couldn't wait to spend time with her later, but I was absolutely petrified of her seeing me at the kissing booth. I knew no one would line up for me tonight and I don't think I could live through that kind of shame in front of Bella.

I decided to run to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and possibly try to calm myself down. I knew it probably wouldn't do much good but it was worth a shot. I was walking down the empty halls and as I rounded the corner, I ran into Mike.

"Hey Edward. I've been looking for you," he beamed. "You're needed at the booth right now."

Before I could protest he grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me in the direction of the carnival.

He looked back at me and said, "Quit dragging your feet Cullen, and get your ass in gear."

"I'm coming. I'm coming," I grumbled, and picked up my pace, pulling my arm from Mike's grasp.

We made it out to the carnival in no time and the scene before me was quite the sight. There were crowds of people everywhere and hundreds of lanterns were strung all along the outskirts and interior of the carnival. There were a bunch of different rides, ranging from a roller coaster, a haunted house, to the Gravitron, and much more.

There was an abundance of booths set up all over the school grounds. Besides the kissing booth there were the typical games, and even some other school related booths. Some other clubs and sports needed to raise money as well as tennis.

As I was following Mike to the kissing booth, I noticed Bella over near the Frog Bog with Tyler Crowley. They both seemed to be having fun together, slamming the mallets down and sending the frogs flying through the air. It actually looked like they might be on a date. I thought she wasn't going with anyone tonight.

I guess she was interested in Tyler. I mean, she seemed to be having fun with him. I was extremely jealous at the moment. I know I had no reason to be, but I had had some hope that tonight might be something more than just friends hanging out.

Who was I kidding? I should have known that tonight would be purely platonic. Maybe I won't even bother calling her later. I would be better off heading home after my shift and leaving her to spend more time with Crowley.

I was watching Bella so intently that I hadn't realized Mike stopped. I ran right into him nearly knocking us both over.

"Whoa! Slow down Cullen. A little eager are we?" he teased, wagging his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at him, shoving my hands in my pockets. "Yeah, sure." I was definitely _not_ eager to start this night.

Mike began telling me what I needed to know. "Alright, well, just stand behind the booth. There are two stools for you and who ever you'll be kissing. Each kiss costs one ticket. Most tickets were sold during school, but some are still being sold up front at the entrance. All you have to do is take the tickets and kiss them." He smiled. "Got it?"

Like it was rocket science. "Yeah, yeah. I got it." No one would be coming up to kiss me anyway.

When Mike left I sat down in the stool and took in my surroundings. The booth was small. It was only about two feet wide and three feet high. And a sloppy sign, made by Newton, was taped messily to the front of it. I noticed a magazine under the booth and decided to read it to pass the time. I began lazily flipping through the pages of an old issue of _People_ magazine, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible.

I must have been there about twenty minutes or so and still no one showed up yet. It wasn't as mortifying as I thought it would be. Although, I never had a chance to realize if anyone noticed my lack of customers, since I was so "engrossed" in the magazine. I never once looked up, afraid that I might see someone laughing at how pathetic I was, or worse, that I might see Bella. I didn't want her to see me in this situation.

I had decided that I would just head home after this. I figured Bella would be spending her time with Tyler, so she wouldn't really notice if I was around or not.

I glanced at my cell phone and noticed that I had about eight minutes left. _Thank God._ Eight more minutes and then I can go home, wallow in my misery, and think about Bella. It was the same thing I did every night.

Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see the radiant Bella Swan standing in front of the booth. Her soft hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her skin glowed in the moonlight. This close I could see how tight her faded blue jeans were and how snug her white cotton tank top fit. The outfit accentuated her curves and my jaw dropped at the sight before me. She was gorgeous. She walked closer and nervously handed me a ticket.

I took the ticket and asked, still in shock, "What are you doing here?" It was a stupid question. I knew what she was doing here. But why was she here when _I_ was at the booth?

She just smiled at me and replied simply, "I'm here for a kiss." Her cheeks became bright red as she said this.

"I thought you were here with Tyler?" I asked, confused.

She walked around to my side and sat herself on the stool opposite me. I followed her every move. "I already told you Edward. I don't have a date tonight. We were just playing a few games together." She said the last part with a wave of her hand, as if dismissing it.

I shook my head and turned so I was facing her. I guess I should get this show on the road then.

"You don't have to do this you know. If you're here to keep me from being embarrassed about having no one in line, you don't have to." I was trying to give her an out.

She pouted at me and it was adorable. "That's not why I'm doing this, Edward."

I raked a hand through my hair. I had dreamed about kissing Bella a million times and now it was actually happening. I just wish it could be under different circumstances, and not just to raise money for tennis. I had pictured so many different scenarios for our first kiss, and it most certainly was not in front of the whole school at a carnival.

I imagined us kissing under the stars after a romantic evening together or on my piano bench after I played her the lullaby I wrote for her. The best of them all was the one where I take her to my meadow. The one I found while out hiking two years ago. There, I would kiss her passionately while lying in the field as we rolled around matting down the grass and wildflowers surrounding us. It was my favorite scenario of all of them.

This meadow was also the spot where I imagined our "first time" to be, and it was even the place where I saw myself proposing to her. That was, of course, if we ever started dating. But I knew that would never happen. It was just wishful thinking on my part. She would never go for someone as insignificant as me.

I pulled myself from my inner ramblings and shifted my stool closer to hers, so that my legs caged hers in. Not quite sure where I should place my hands, I decided to rest them lightly on her hips.

"Thank you for supporting the tennis team, Bella," I squeaked out, nervously. It was stupid, I know, but it was all I could think of to say.

She spoke softly when she answered. "It's my pleasure, Edward."

There was a sparkle in her eyes of something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Maybe excitement?

_Here goes nothing, _I thought.

I slowly leaned in, carefully gauging her reaction. Her breathing began to quicken and her eyes fluttered closed. Without my permission, my left hand made it's way up to her face and cupped her cheek, and I was once again met with that electricity. She leaned into my touch and I took this moment to close the distance. My eyes shut of their own accord as my lips came into contact with hers.

When our lips touched, the electricity that I felt before only intensified with the kiss. My whole body seemed to tingle with the sensation as our lips moved together in perfect rhythm. At first, the kiss was gentle and sweet, like I always imagined it would be. But soon it grew into something much more intense and passionate.

My hand moved to the back of her neck, bringing her closer to deepen the kiss. I felt her shift closer to me, our bodies nearly touching. I took this as a good sign and did something bold. I let my tongue dart out and sweep across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Her lips immediately parted and I swiftly slid my tongue into her warm mouth.

She moaned in pleasure as our tongues met and I shivered at the sound. It excited me to no end knowing that I was the one who caused her to make that sound. I let my hand fall back to her hip as she slid her arms around my neck, tangling her fingers in my unruly hair. The sensation was so amazing that I moaned and gripped her hips tighter. In response she began running her fingers through my hair, leaving hot trails in her fingers wake.

I don't know what came over me, but without warning, I gripped her bottom and lifted her onto my lap, her legs resting on either side of mine. She gasped into my mouth at the sudden movement, but the new position only caused her to deepen the kiss even more, as she continued to tug and pull at my hair.

I was unsure as to how much time passed, but we just sat there kissing, our tongues fighting each other for control, not caring in the slightest about the world around us. I easily won the battle for dominance. She didn't know whom she was dealing with. I've waited a long time for this moment and I was going to savor it.

After a while, we both needed to come up for air. When we broke apart we were both panting for breath.

Now that the kiss was over, I wasn't sure how she would act. Could she possibly have wanted this as much as me, or was it really just a kiss for 'charity'? But like she always does, she surprised me. Resting her forehead against mine, she wound her legs tightly around my waist and gripped my shoulders with her delicate hands.

"Edward," she panted, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

I shifted back, allowing myself the pleasure of looking into her brown eyes. I was shocked by her admission. "Really?" I asked, bewildered, and still out of breath.

"Mhm. Ever since that first day I saw you in Biology."

I chuckled and gave her a crooked smile. "You know Bella, you didn't have to pay for it. I would have gladly kissed you for free."

She just shrugged and smiled. "You were taking too long to make a move."

"I asked you to hangout tonight didn't I?" I countered, teasingly. I secured my arms around her waist, bringing her closer to me.

She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I know, but I bought these tickets weeks ago." Her breath sent shivers down my spine.

_Wait!_

"Tickets?" I cocked an eyebrow at her. She only gave me one ticket.

She giggled and pulled out a stack of tickets from her back pocket. "I have nineteen more," she said.

"You bought _twenty tickets_ for _me_?" This girl never ceased to amaze me.

She nodded, biting her lip. That simple gesture stirred something within me and I leaned in, crashing my lips to hers again. This kiss only lasted a brief moment but it had us both lightheaded. I pulled away and looked back up at her.

A bit huskily, I said, "Well, Bella, my shift is just about over, so why don't I take you somewhere more comfortable so I can give you your money's worth of these remaining tickets?"

She groaned in anticipation. Gripping me tighter, she breathed, "Let's get out of here."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**

**Link to Edward's glasses on profile.**


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